Stringer44
New member
Hello, I’ve got a long bed F150 and I’d like to add a topper. The ARE HD looks like a good fit, with one exception.
I’d like to haul a kayak, some skis, an awning, maybe a cargo box, etc (not simultaneously). Likely wouldn’t put a RTT up there. The HD topper has a 550 lb capacity, whereas the more basic fiberglass topper is only rated for 200ish pounds. I’d likely be under the weight limit regardless, but it would be nice having the extra capacity. Plus the internal skeleton would be good for hanging stuff off of inside the topper.
Anyway, with the HD the crossbars are in a fixed position near the ends of the topper. That is a very wide span on a long bed. I could maybe haul my kayak, but awnings and other gear would likely be a struggle. I’ve seen some people mount a rack on top of these bars, but that will likely add another $1-2k.
So I’m just curious, does anyone have one of these ARE HD toppers, and have you made any modifications to the crossbars to get more versatility out of them?
Or for anyone with a topper on a long bed, how has your experience been with crossbars?
I could ditch the idea of the HD model, and just get one with roof tracks, so that the crossbars would be movable, but I hate to lose all that weight capacity.
Thanks for any thoughts.
I’d like to haul a kayak, some skis, an awning, maybe a cargo box, etc (not simultaneously). Likely wouldn’t put a RTT up there. The HD topper has a 550 lb capacity, whereas the more basic fiberglass topper is only rated for 200ish pounds. I’d likely be under the weight limit regardless, but it would be nice having the extra capacity. Plus the internal skeleton would be good for hanging stuff off of inside the topper.
Anyway, with the HD the crossbars are in a fixed position near the ends of the topper. That is a very wide span on a long bed. I could maybe haul my kayak, but awnings and other gear would likely be a struggle. I’ve seen some people mount a rack on top of these bars, but that will likely add another $1-2k.
So I’m just curious, does anyone have one of these ARE HD toppers, and have you made any modifications to the crossbars to get more versatility out of them?
Or for anyone with a topper on a long bed, how has your experience been with crossbars?
I could ditch the idea of the HD model, and just get one with roof tracks, so that the crossbars would be movable, but I hate to lose all that weight capacity.
Thanks for any thoughts.